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Re:How the Nintendo Switch prevents downgrades by irreparabl... by paulcole on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @08:27AM (#23538294)
> it's my device that I've paid for so there shouldn't have unnecessary restrictions imposed on it

In the grand scheme of things, this is a very niche opinion.

How specifically would your use of the Switch change if Nintendo didn’t prevent downgrades in this way?

Re:How the Nintendo Switch prevents downgrades by irreparabl... by salawat on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @08:59AM (#23538613)
>In the grand scheme of things, this is a very niche opinion.

Uh, how ya figure?

Oh, do you mean in the, "Well, no consumer would ever actively think of that sense!" Because that's downright wrong, and it has been a longtime complaint of mine since childhood, which my family will be happy to attest to the degree of ear bending that results from these types of shenanigans every single time I discover them. Further, if you think that idea is niche, I'd like to point you toward the right-to-repair movement,as well as the bloody Android ecosystem as well.

The only people to whom what you refer to as a "niche" idea, are a niche into an nd of themselves; namely production companies that wish to infringe on the right of First Sale.

Get with the 21st Century. People are not satisfied with planned obsolescence, and while they'll consume things made in a user hostile way, I'll assure you, once an actor that commits to consumer friendly electronics fabrication gets traction in the space, and shows signs of the ability to collect good talent, people will flock to them.

Don't get me wrong. I like Nintendo, I just hate predatory hardware forging practices.

Re:How the Nintendo Switch prevents downgrades by irreparabl... by paulcole on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @02:30PM (#23542472)
> Uh, how ya figure?

Because most people don't let this affect purchasing decisions when it's a product they really want.

Right-to-repair advocates are not the norm.

People buy iPads, iPhones, Pexels, Switches, whatever because they want them. If the product is desirable enough people will overlook planned obsolescence and a whole lot more, too.

Android is popular because it is inexpensive not because it's more open.

You really think a "consumer-friendly" electronics company will unseat Nintendo, Apple, etc.?

Re:How the Nintendo Switch prevents downgrades by irreparabl... by salawat on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @03:53PM (#23543322)
When one comes into existence? You bet. Manufacturing capabilities are much closer to the home than they've ever been before. You had the big actors at the forefront dominating the market for so long because you needed to be cutting edge to survive. Now? Hell, a god blessed RaspberryPi represents near State-of-the-Art performance for a large portion of my childhood needs. In terms of possibilities that can be realized on the cheap, we're at an inflection point where the bigger, faster processor in 6 months costs more than 6 months of figuring out how to use what you've got.

Knowing how to use something is becoming more productive than externalizing that knowledge and letting someone else distill it for you. I see a future driving in the direction of retraction and a pruning of inefficiency to back off of just shoveling more and more into wasteful wank, and getting back to building what you need and taking it from there.

Then again, most of my social circles have been make-do types, so maybe I am in a bubble. I certainly know the more cosmopolitanly inclined infrequently think about things like repurposing or fixing things. I'm praying that'll change and doing everything I can to instill a passion for knowing how thing's work, and caring about how it's made in the next generation, if only because no one ever was interested in being frank with me about all the decisions the market decided to make for me about what parts of my life I should and should not have access to.

I try to get them to pay attention to all the things people don't say, bexause that tends to be at the root of so much of the shit and wrongness in the world we're inhabiting.

Re:How the Nintendo Switch prevents downgrades by irreparabl... by bibabaloo on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @08:54AM (#23538543)
I'd be free to choose the version of software to run on it. If they were to, for example, put out a release that broke compatibility with a niche game that I enjoyed, I could downgrade and continue to play that game. But, honestly, it's more about the principle.
Re:How the Nintendo Switch prevents downgrades by irreparabl... by paulcole on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @09:55PM (#23546838)
Has a release of Switch software ever broken compatibility with an already released Switch game?